Bitch Media - Election 2008http://bitchmagazine.org/taxonomy/term/954/0
enR-Min? More like D-Bag!http://bitchmagazine.org/post/r-min-more-like-d-bag
<div style="text-align: center"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3214/3008635758_b2137f505e_o.png" alt="3007795341_5b3d6aede9.jpg" height="199" width="494" /></div>
<!--break--><!--break--><p>As <a href="/post/random-election-thoughts-for-ponderin">Jonanna</a> and <a href="/post/prop-8">Ray</a> have pointed out below, although it's effing incredible Obama's our new president, local elections across the country <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/us/politics/06alaska.html?ref=politics">left a lot to be desired.</a></p>
<!--break--><!--break--><p>Take Michele Bachmann, who just achieved a close victory over Democratic-endorsed, adorably-named Elwyn Tinklenberg in Minnesota's Congressional election, and is the first official recipient of the Bitch blog's Douchebag Decree, our new public service informing readers of douchebaggery near and far. </p>
<!--break--><!--break--><p>For those unfamiliar with this harpy of a politician, she's pro-life, pro-creationism, and against marriage between anything that's not a man and a woman (or a church and a state). She's a total Palin prototype—lending credence to the theory these political hockey moms are factory-manufactured by the dozens in the barren plains of North Dakota and then released, one by one, to the different corners of the nation in order to destroy it. </p>
<!--break--><!--break--><p>Bachmann's name hit national press most recently this past October when she gaffed on <i>Hardball</i> with Chris Matthews, suggesting certain congress members (specifically implicating that uppity Barack Obama) were anti-American. For a quick recap of the blunder and hasty backtracking, here's our favorite commentator with the skinny: </p>
<!--break--><!--break--><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8byQSKV8u5c&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8byQSKV8u5c&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><!--break--><!--break--><p>Although expected to lose the election after such a polarizing faux pas (Tinklenberg's donations skyrocketed almost overnight), Bachmann unfortunately managed to pull ahead by a scant 3% lead in Tuesday's election. Seeing as Bachmann's passé McCarthyism wasn't enough to convince District 6 in Minnesota of her inherent skeeziness, we may have to dig deeper into her arsenal of douchebag-qualifying characteristics to justify her &quot;Decree&quot; nomination. But not too deep. </p>
<!--break--><!--break--><p>Besides supporting <a href="http://www.stillwatergazette.com/articles/2003/10/02/export160.txt">creationism</a> and homeschooling, Bachmann is a veteran pro-life activist, and is featured on the <a href="http://www.sba-list.org/site/c.ddJBKJNsFqG/b.4145941/k.4902/Michele_Bachmann_MN__06.htm">Susan B. Anthony List,</a> &quot;a political action committee helping pro-life women gain election to Congress.&quot; Bachmann proposed a Minnesota constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage not once, but twice (it failed to get on the ballot), staging huge anti-gay protests and <a href="http://www.mfc.org/contents/article.cfm?id=1116">rallying the evangelical vote in the process.</a> She often cites the detrimental effect gay marriage would have on children, saying in <a href="http://www.citypages.com/2006-10-04/news/the-chosen-one">2005:</a></p>
<!--break--><!--break--><p><i>Little children will be forced to learn that homosexuality is normal and natural and perhaps they should try it…It will take away the civil rights of little children to be protected in their innocence, but also the rights of parents to control their kids' education and threaten their deeply held religious beliefs.</i></p>
<!--break--><!--break--><p>Yeah, she went there. She said civil rights. </p>
<!--break--><!--break--><p>Then there's this soundbite from 2005, when in regards to multicultural diversity, Bachmann stated, &quot;Let's appreciate and value everyone's cultures. But guess what? Not all cultures are equal. Not all values are equal.&quot; The clip in all its racist, Eurocentric glory is here: </p>
<!--break--><!--break--><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nP4hYkfwuTY&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nP4hYkfwuTY&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><!--break--><!--break--><p>Bachmann, you may be a congresswoman for a painful two years, but you shall retain your douchbag status now and forever more. </p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/r-min-more-like-d-bag#commentsDouchebag DecreeElection 2008Michele BachmannMinnesotapoliticsLove / ShoveThu, 06 Nov 2008 20:06:37 +0000Kjerstin Johnson880 at http://bitchmagazine.orgDe-regular guyhttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/de-regular-guy
<p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3037/3003065111_35c1cefd82_o.jpg " title="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3037/3003065111_35c1cefd82_o.jpg " height="145" width="435" />
</p>
<p>Something just occurred to me, on this, the holiest of political days. You know how Barack Obama bought, like, I dunno, a gazillion dollars worth of TV time to run his infomercial a few days before the election?
</p><p>Whether or not his little bit of soft-serve propaganda served to sway any <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2008/10/27/081027sh_shouts_sedaris" title="http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2008/10/27/081027sh_shouts_sedaris" rel="nofollow">undecided</a> voters is arguable, but at least the maneuver effectively cock-blocked John McCain from running his hideously angry, ugly anti-Obama ads. </p>
<p>You know why Obama was able to buy up huge amounts of major affiliate prime-time? Because in the '80s, the TV industry was freed up by deregulation. You young'uns out there might not know this, but once upon a time, infomercials were by law restricted to certain times of day--late, late night, actually; their airing during prime time or daytime was illegal. But one man came along and changed all that, a visionary who opened us up to the 24-7 world of cheap juicers and rip-off real estate programs. Until then, we didn't even know what we were missing! </p>
<p>Eventually, this freedom of the airwaves led to its logical conclusion: Obama's bought himself a full hour biopic to promote his personal history, his programs, his ideas. According to <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed7/idUSN3029152020081031" title="http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed7/idUSN3029152020081031" rel="nofollow">Reuters</a>, 33.5 million people watched the thing, 60 minutes of freedom for Obama to look presidential and smooth, as opposed to the only images we saw of McCain, which consisted mainly of media-chosen, 10-second-long video of him staggering awkwardly about various stump stages, rambling about socialism.
</p>
<p>The tasty irony is this: The one man who got the TV deregulatory ball rolling, who opened up the airwaves in the name of the Republican fantasy of an unfettered free market? Ronald Reagan.
</p>
<p>The circle is complete. </p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/de-regular-guy#commentsElection 2008ObamapoliticsLove / ShoveTue, 04 Nov 2008 21:13:53 +0000Jonanna Widner875 at http://bitchmagazine.orgRosa Clementehttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/rosa-clemente
<p>In the past few days, the Green Party has come up in a number of conversations I've been involved in, and I'm continually surprised at the number of people who think Ralph Nader is running for president. That misperception is unfortunate for many reasons, most notably because the Green Party ticket actually consists of two women of color--Cynthia McKinney for president and Rosa Clemente for vice president. </p>
<p>Coincidentally enough, I was alerted this morning to an <a href="http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/19274" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">interview with Rosa</a> done by Adele Nieves, posted over on ZNet. </p>
<blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span>Rosa Clemente is one of the most prominent activists of our generation. She is a nationally renowned speaker, writer, and journalist - one of the most important independent journalists covering the aftermath of<br />
Hurricane Katrina - and in 2001 was a youth representative at the United Nations World Conference against Xenophobia, Racism, and Related Intolerance. She continues to organize conferences focused on the empowerment of young people of color, working in colleges, community centers, and prisons. In 2008, she accepted the Green Party nomination for vice-president on the Cynthia McKinney presidential ticket. This is an interview conducted by Adele Nieves in mid-October.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span> <br />
AN: Tell me how the Green Party is different from the Republicans and Democrats?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><br />
RC: Our core principles: democracy, social justice, ecological wisdom, and economic sustainability. Right there, our priorities are different in principle. Concretely, our party does not take any corporate or lobbyist PAC money. The Green Party was founded 30 years ago with the intention to break up the two-party system, and promote visionary<br />
environmental strategies and social justice.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span>What are the pros and cons of not taking corporate money?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p><span>I don't ever see a con in not taking money from corporations. There is not supposed to be a corporate aspect to the government; government is supposed to serve the people. Corporations, especially in these days and times - maybe since forever - are not there to serve the people. </span></p></blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/19274" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Go here for the rest of the interview</a>! </p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/rosa-clemente#commentsElection 2008Green PartyinterviewsRosa ClementeBitch on WheelsFri, 31 Oct 2008 16:55:33 +0000Debbie Rasmussen864 at http://bitchmagazine.orgIf you're in Seattle this weekend...http://bitchmagazine.org/post/if-youre-in-seattle-this-weekend
<p>From the folks at the Media Consortium...<br />
-------------<br />
Live From Main Street Seattle: Beyond Hockey Moms and Palin Politics - Women on Real National Security (televised town hall event)<br />
Sunday October 26, 2008, 4pm –5:30pm<br />
Where: Museum of History and Industry's McEachern Auditorium (MOHAI)<br />
McCurdy Park - 2700 24th Ave East - Seattle, WA 98112<br />
<a target="_blank" href="http://livefrommainstreet.com/content/RSVP" rel="nofollow">RSVP for preferred seating here</a>. RSVP is not necessary to attend- there will be some general admission seating available on the day of the event.<br />
FREE OF CHARGE and open to the public. Seating is limited so please arrive early – doors open at 3pm.</p>
<p>Join us, less then two weeks before the election, as we move beyond lipstick and hockey pucks to investigate what real national security looks like at Live From Main Street Seattle. In this nationally televised town hall hosted by GritTV's Laura Flanders, an all-women panel will examine how issues of national security impact our daily lives and ask the tough questions about how to build a better future. Does the solution lie in our military or social policies? What are women doing to ensure security in their communities and in the world at large? And how does the militarization of our budget affect security in other areas of our lives?</p>
<p>Get ready for a conversation you haven't heard before and share your voice! </p>
<p>Panelists include:<br />
Commissioner Gael Tarleton, Commissioner at the Port of Seattle<br />
Erin Solaro, Author of Women in the Line of Fire: What you should know about Women in the Military<br />
Carol Kessler, Director of Center for Global Security for Pacific Northwest National Lab and Co-chair of Women in International Security<br />
Rep. Maralyn Chase, Washington's 32nd District and The Washington State Director for the Women Legislator's Lobby<br />
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director of Mom's Rising<br />
Rosalinda Guillen, Co-founder of and Executive Director for Community to Community Development<br />
Martha Burk, Author and Money Editor at Ms. Magazine<br />
Sarah Van Gelder, Executive Editor at YES! Magazine</p>
<p>Arrive early for free swag and books courtesy of The Media Consortium and the Progressive Book Club and if you are a student, show your ID for a free DVD of Robert Greenwald and the Nation's This Brave Nation. This event will be broadcast on Link TV and Free Speech TV, live-streamed across the Internet and played on hundreds of radio stations across the country courtesy of Making Contact.</p>
<p>There will be an exclusive reception after the event with Laura Flanders, panelists, refreshments and some special progressive goodies. For more information <a href="http://livefrommainstreet.com/content/seattle-reception-info" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">click here</a> or contact Becki Scholl at <a href="mailto:becki@themediaconsortium.com" rel="nofollow">becki@themediaconsortium.com</a>.</p>
<p>Live from Main Street is produced by The Media Consortium and sponsored in part by The Progressive Book Club, KBCS, LINK TV, Yes! Magazine and Reclaim the Media.<br />
For more information <a href="/LiveFromMainStreet.org" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">go here</a>.</p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/if-youre-in-seattle-this-weekend#commentsElection 2008eventsSeattleBitch on WheelsTue, 21 Oct 2008 18:24:34 +0000Debbie Rasmussen853 at http://bitchmagazine.orgSNL's VP debate sketchhttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/snls-vp-debate-sketch
<!--[if IE]><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" id=W4727a250e66f972348e8d4c9cfe4a96d" width="384" height="283"><param name="movie" value="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/48e8d4c9cfe4a96d/4741e3c5156499a7/dd83ca67/-cpid/9b352bc621baa7ed" /><![endif]--><!--[if IE]><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" id=W4727a250e66f972348e8d4c9cfe4a96d" width="384" height="283"><param name="movie" value="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/48e8d4c9cfe4a96d/4741e3c5156499a7/dd83ca67/-cpid/9b352bc621baa7ed" /><![endif]--><!--[if !IE]>--><!--[if !IE]>--><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/48e8d4c9cfe4a96d/4741e3c5156499a7/dd83ca67/-cpid/9b352bc621baa7ed" id="W4727a250e66f972348e8d4c9cfe4a96d" width="384" height="283"><!--<![endif]--><!--<![endif]--><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /></object>http://bitchmagazine.org/post/snls-vp-debate-sketch#commentsdebatesElection 2008Queen LatifahSarah PalinTina FeyBitch on WheelsSun, 05 Oct 2008 14:40:16 +0000Debbie Rasmussen827 at http://bitchmagazine.org